Real Talk in Elementary Classrooms

Reviews / Votes

This is an important book that will be of interest to both researchers and teachers. The many instructional examples will provide models for beginning (and experienced, too) language arts teachers who seek guidance on opening up discussion in their classrooms. The book also offers an articulate statement of the philosophy underlying dialogic classrooms. In today's educational climate, where the importance of classroom discourse in student learning is often overlooked, this book is a breath of fresh air. I predict it will be used widely in teacher education courses.--Martin Nystrand, PhD, Louise Durham Mean Professor of English

Real Talk shows how to make time to teach literacy in the classroom in an authentic, supportive, and dynamic way that fits within the curriculum and state standards. Reading this book has dramatically changed the way I look at children and teaching literacy. I am seriously considering eliminating the 'raise your hand and wait to be called on' rule and moving toward more natural conversations with my students.--Patricia Kawi, MEd, first-grade teacher, Buffalo, New York

This well-informed, clearly written book uses examples from real classrooms to convey its message very effectively: if we want to improve the quality of education, there needs to be more genuine dialogue between teachers and students. The authors not only make their case by drawing on relevant research, but also show how four teachers who have taken this message to heart are able to translate it into practice. This book should interest researchers and practitioners alike--who knows, it could even help persuade those policymakers who still need to be convinced of the educational power of talk.--Neil Mercer, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Teachers and professional development providers will find this book highly readable, engaging, and useful. It provides rich evidence of what productive talk looks like and what it generates. I really like the vignettes illustrating how each of the four teachers implemented their own versions of 'real talk' in their classrooms.--Anna O. Soter, Ph.D., Professor, School of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University

After cringing over yesterday's reliance on thought- and conversation-ending questions in the classroom, a working teacher will plunge gratefully into this informative, inspiring guide. It is a perfect vehicle for a professional literature discussion group. A group of elementary-level colleagues engaged in 'real talk' about this book will no doubt change and grow their classrooms into more exciting, productive, and thinking places for both their students and themselves.--Carolyn Belle, MEd, fifth-grade teacher, Ithaca (New York) City School District

Boyd and Galda have written a magnificent work for teachers, full of the actual talk of children in real classrooms. The work makes high-quality classroom dialogue a visible, accessible practice. By showing us what happens, moment to moment, as conversations unfold, they tell us how teachers can make classrooms places where student ideas matter, while always inviting the reader to remember the complexity and situatedness of this enterprise. I have already recommended this book to others, and I have a feeling that I will be recommending this book to many classroom teachers in the years to come.--Maren Aukerman, PhD, Curriculum and Teacher Education Program, Stanford University -